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Wests Tigers powerbrokers have moved to secure one of the hottest league prospects in the country in a bid to stave off not only rival clubs but rugby union.
The Tigers are working hard to secure local junior and Western Suburbs Magpies Harold Matthews (under-17s) star Heamasi Makasini before he hits the market and held a meeting with the teenager on Tuesday night.
The Tigers rolled out powerbrokers NRL coach Benji Marshall, CEO Shane Richardson and general manager of football Matthew Betsey for the meeting, where the club’s plans for Makasini’s development were mapped out.
The meeting was also an opportunity for Makasini’s parents to tour the Tigers’ newly built centre of excellence as they weigh up their son’s future.
Makasini will become a free agent from Round 6 in 2025, which is the final year of his deal at Concord, but the club is well aware a long list of rival outfits will be ready to pounce when the goalkicking centre hits the open market.
Under the new CBA rules a developed player does not become a free agent until Round 6 of the final year of a contract. The rule is designed to give clubs the best shot at retaining rising talent.
Already, the phone of the youngster’s manager, Mario Tartak, has been running hot with NRL clubs enquiring about Makasini’s contract status.
Makasini has been a key cog in the Magpies run to the top of the Harold Matthews ladder, where the hulking centre has 68 points from seven tries and 20 goals in the opening seven rounds of the season.
The youngster’s highlight reel is an impressive showcase of his powerful running, tackle busting and big hits in defence.
Betsey told this masthead the club is prioritising its pathways talent like Makasini to ensure the Tigers’ best youngsters have a pathway from junior representative leagues into the NRL program.
“Heamasi is a promising young local junior coming through our system. Richo has been on the record saying we are a development club and we want to continue to connect with all the players coming through the pathways, particularly the talented ones. We do that regularly,” Betsey said.
“We are starting to see the Lachlan Galvins come through, the green shoots of our pathways. Our pathways has been successful in the last few years and we want our players to understand they’re a part of that success moving forward.”
Makasini was invited to take part in a number of NRL training sessions over the summer outside of his high school commitments.
There is a view the youngster could be catapulted into the Tigers NRL program with a debut on the cards within the next 18 months.
A year 11 student at Newington College, Makasini is also a rising rugby union prospect in the GPS program.
Late last year, the powerful outside back was selected in the Australian under-16s side and is part of the Waratahs pathways system.
